Instagram to now verify your age with selfies! Social vouching also in works

Instagram is now testing new ways to perform age verification. In its recent blogpost, the company says that it is testing two new ways to test Instagram age verification process. One of the ways is by taking selfies whereas the other one is through social vouching. Both of these processes are under testing and hence, will take time to reach the masses. Both the ways are expected to make the verification process quicker, easier, and better than the current model.

Instagram’s first method is via video selfies. The process will give the user in-screen instructions to take a video of yourself, just like how you do while setting up a Face ID system on a brand new iPhone. The video is shared with Yoti, a company that specialises in age verification. The estimation is based on facial features and once the process is complete, the video is deleted. The process help the verification process to be completed in 20 minutes.

Instagram testing new verification methods

The second method is the option of social media vouching, which means exactly what you think of it – the process will require someone else to vouch for your age. Yes, no kidding. The person you wish to vouch for you will have to be over 18 years and will not vouch for anyone lese at the time. The process will also need three people to vouch for your age and they will have to respond within three days of the request being sent.

The process seem certainly more complex than the current one but it will play a big role in getting accurate age estimates, which eventually helps Instagram to tailor the user experience individually. Hence, minors posing as 18+ adults will now have to go through an authentic process. Still, it remains to be seen how accurate and reliable these new methods will be in comparison to the existing one.

Note that Instagram will continue to have the ID based age verification process in place. 

“We require people to be at least 13 years old to sign up for Instagram. In some countries, our minimum age is higher. When we know if someone is a teen (13-17), we provide them with age-appropriate experiences like defaulting them into private accounts, preventing unwanted contact from adults they don’t know and limiting the options advertisers have to reach them with ads,” says Instagram.